Roberta Cecchetti is an expert on children’s rights. She has worked for more than 20 years with large and small non-governmental organizations, including 15 years with Save the Children. More recently, she has worked with UNICEF, OHCHR and the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children. She has specific expertise in the field of child protection, including child protection systems, violence against children, corporal punishment, alternative care and the protection of migrant/refugee children. Her areas of work include research, evaluation, strategic planning, policy and advocacy for children and child participation.

She served as Chair of the Executive Committee of Child Rights Connect for three years and is currently Chair and member of the Executive Committee of the Global Detention Project, based in Geneva. Ms. Cecchetti has worked throughout her career in various countries and speaks Italian, English, French and Spanish.